Skid platform



Nov.- 16, 1937; a g m ET AL 2,099,051

sxw PLATFORM 2 T Filed Oct. 28, .1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 16, 1937; ivC'IL. CLARK ET AL 2,099,051

SKID PLATFORM Filed Oct. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 16,1937 UNITED STATES PATE T O FF I S PLATFORM Application October- 28,1936, Serial No. 107,980

Claims. (01. 248- 120) The invention relates to material handling platforms commonly called skid platforms, which are used either directly orcombined with boxes, stakes, casters, crane hooks, rings, runners, and

5 the like, for storing, handling and transporting parts, both large andsmall, and heavy or light, in a manufacturing plant.

More particularly, the invention relates to a skid platform made from asingle blank of sheet 10 or plate metal, preferably steel, and formedintegrally with longitudinally extending legs and spaced stiffeningcorrugations extending transversely of the platform deck and legs.

A skid platform is usually transported or handled either by a hand or apower operated lift truck, the lifting platform of which is passedunderneath the skid platform deck between the legs thereof, and iselevated or lowered for transporting or locating the-platform and loadcarried thereby.- V

The strength or stiffness of such a skid platform is dependent upon thenumber and depth of the stiffening corrugations; and these corrugationsmust run around the corners between the legs and deck so as to providestiffness and strength at such corners in order to prevent spreading orcollapse of the legs when a loaded platform is being handled.

In prior types of skid platforms, failures frequently occur at thecorners, particularly at the corner bends in the corrugations, becausethese corrugation corner bends are not strong enough to withstand, whilea skid platform is loaded, the extreme shock to which they may besubjected when the lifting platform of a lifting truck strikes theplatform leg with a glancing blow, as the truck lifting platform isentered beneath the skid platform to pick up the skid platform.

A glancing blow of this type frequently bends the leg outward under suchsevere shock conditions that the metal at the corner bends in the skidplatform corrugations cracks or ruptures and the skid platformeventually fails' by flattening out. V

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention tomaterially increase the strength In prior types of skid platforms, themetal at the corner bends in the corrugations always has beenexcessively work hardened when the corners are formed between theplatform legs and deck. This work hardening develops brittleness thatreduces the ability of such platforms to withstand the shock of aglancing blow; with the result that the brittle areas crack, fracture orrupture, after a slight bending caused by a glancing blow.

Accordingly, it is a further object of the present invention to providea new spread corrugation arrangement at the corner bends in thecorrugations of a corrugated sheet metal skid platform; in which aminimum amount of work hardening occurs at and adjacent to the cornerbends in the corrugations; so that the metal thereat retainsconsiderable resilience and therefore ability to withstand severe shockloads without damage or failure.

Moreover, it is an additional object of the present invention to providean improved corner construction for a corrugated sheet metal skidplatform which retains strength and stiffness even though the legs maybe excessively bent from a normal location, as a result of a sidewiseshock blow, without causing a rupture or failure of the metal at thecorner.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a corrugatedsheet metal skid platform with the advantageous features,characteristics and constructions described, in a simple, expeditiousand inexpensive manner.

These and other objects may be obtained by the improved construction, apreferred embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, andis hereinafter described in detail and claimed, which may be stated ingeneral terms as including in sheet metal skid platform construction, agenerally horizontally disposed deck; longitudinally extending,substantially vertically disposed, continuous legs formed integrally ateach side of the deck with a corner between each leg and the deck;spaced, relatively deep, recessed corrugations traversing the deck andlegs; each corrugation being formed at each corner with two relativelyshallow, recessed corrugations, divided or spread about an island-like,raised comer corrugation; the grain direction of the metal in the sheetor plate metal blank from which the platform is formed preferablyrunning parallel with the corrugations formed therein.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a corrugated sheet metal skid platform havingthe improved corner corrugation arrangement;

I leg 16, as indicated at. I80.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the platform shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the platform shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of :a sheet metal blank from whichthe improved skid plat; form is made, relatively deep corrugationshaving been formed therein;

Fig. 5 is an-end elevation of thecorrugated blank shown in Fig. 4; f

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a reforming of thecorrugations with the improved corner corrugation arrangement in theregion where a corner will be formed between the platform deck and a legthereof; I a

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary section'taken on the line '|--'l,Figs.'6 and 8;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary section taken on the line 8-8, Figs.6 and '7; Y Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary end eleva-- tion showingone corner ofa skid platform having the; improved corner corrugationarrange 1 ment; i

Fig. 10:18 a fragmentary perspective view of the improved cornercorrugation arrangement;

Fig. 1115 a. fragmentary section taken on the line H- H Fig. 9; I

Fig. 12.is a fragmentary section taken on the line l2l2, Fig.9; and.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary section taken on the un as -l3, Fig. 9. Similarnumerals refer to similar parts throughout the various figures of thedrawings.

- A sheet metal skid platform is generally indl- I cated at M inFigs.,,1, 2 and 3 and includes a horizontally disposed deck generallyindicated at i5 and legs generally indicated at 15 formed Y integrallywith thedeck. The deck I! is preferably generally rectangular in outlineand is spaced.

from the floor or the. like A by the legs 16 which extendpreferablylongitudinally of the deck I! in a generally vertical positionand are preferably continuous at the marginal side edges of thedeck l5,as shown, thereby forming corners 45 generally indicated at. I! (Fig. 2)between each 'leg l6 and the deck i5.

A series of spaced, relatively deep, recessed, stiffening corrugationsi8 traverse thedeck IS in a crosswise manner and extend downward in eachThe corrugations i8 and l8a are shown as being somewhattrapezoidal-channeled or .U-shaped in cross section,

but it is understood that the particular shape is not essential, as theymay be half-round, V.- shaped, or other shape if desired.

'the deck is and the surfaces of the legs 86, and

are then tapered as at 25 to merge with the recessed corrugations l9 andcorrugations i8 and 58a, at the regions 2%.

The improved skid platform corner construction may be made by utilizinga sheet metal blank 28 have a tapering depthj indicated at 26 in Figs. 4and 5 in which deep corrugations ill have been formed in any desiredmanner. After the corrugations it have been so formed, the sheet blank25' may have the corrugations :8 thereof re-iormed while the blank isflat, to provide the improved corner corrugation areas generallyindicated at i911. in Fig. 6, wherein the re-formed blank is. indicatedgenerally at 26a. The blank 250 may also have its corners rounded as atI604. lifter the formations Illa have been made, the leg portions it ofthe blank 26:]. may be bent downward along a dash line indicatedgenerally at B in Figs. 4 and 6 to the position shown in Figs. 1,2 and3, when the skid platforms it are completed;

The re-forming of the areas tea, as shown in Fig. 6, is preferablyaccomplished in a single operation, while the sheet metal blank is flatso as to minimize the strain introduced into the .metal at theregions ofthe re-forming. However,

it is to be understood that the re-forming operation need notnecessarily be accomplished while the blank is flat, but may-beperformed in the same dies that and by the same operation thatperiormsthe leg bending. That is to say, in the manufacture of skidplatforms, the blank 26 may be formed in one step from the arrangementshown in Fig. 42.0 the completed'arrangement shown in, Fig.1. p

Moreover, it isunnecessaryto first form the deepcorrugations l8 and thenthe re-forn'ied corner region's is because a sheet blank may beinitially formed in one operation from a flat to thearrangementshcwninFig..6.-,

The shallowing and widening ofthecorrugations I8, and preferably alsothe dividing ofthe some to provide the raised, corner. ribs 26, preventsexcessive work hardening of themetal at the corners between the deck l5and legs to of the corrugated sheet metal skid platform it; it beingnoted that the metal inthe bottom of the shallowed corrugations 58 (seeFig. 13) is closer to the center of gravity of the section through? outthe corners, tha-nis the metal in the bottom of the corrugation it (seeFigs. 11 and i2). In other words, the metal in the shallow corrugationsI9 at the corners between the deck to and legs I8 is upset less thanwouldbe the case if the deep corrugations i8 were continued around thecorners.

This elimination of excessive work hardening v of the metal permits themetal at the corners to retain more resilience and'to therefore be moreresistant to sharp blows. Actualtests have shown Referring particularlyto Figs. 9 and10,.the

rugations do not fail or break, even excessive-bending; as compared withprior types of skid platform corner constructions wherein breakageoccurs after only slight bending, due to brittleness incident to workhardening.

We have likewise discovered that the grainv of the metal in the sheetblank 23 runs parallel with the direction of the corrugations id,

as indicated by the arrow C in Fig. 4, the strength of the skid platformcorners is increased more than ten percent.

Accordingly, the improved corner construction not only increases thestrength of corrugated.

' sheet metal skid platforms so that they will withreadily incorporatedin a corrugated sheet metal skid platform in a very inexpensive manner,either in one of the usual operations of making the same, or by addingonly one additional re-forming operation.

It is to be understood that the scope of the in- I vention is notlimited to the particular shapes and contours shown, but changes can bemade in such disclosed.

Having now described the features of the invention, preferred methods ofmaking skid platforms in which the inventions are incorporated, anditheadvantages and results attained thereby; the new and useful parts,elements, devices, combinations and constructions, and reasonablemechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, areset forth in the appended claims.

We claim:---

1. In a sheet'metal skid platform having a deck and legs with cornerstherebetween formed integrally from a single metal blank, a series ofrelatively deep corrugations traversing the deck and legs, andrelatively shallow and wide corrugations in said corners merging withand joining said doc and leg corrugations.

,and marginal upright legs with corners therebetween formed integrallyfrom a single metal blank, a relatively deep corrugation traversing thedeck, a relatively deep. corrugation extending upward in each leg, andtwo relatively shallow recessed corrugations running around a raisedisland-like corrugation in each corner, merging with and Joining thedeck and each leg corrugation.

4. In a sheet metal skid platform having a-deck and legs with cornerstherebetween formed integrally from a single metal blank, a relativelydeep corrugation traversing the deck, a relatively deep corrugationextending upward in each leg, and two relatively shallow taperedcorrugations running around a corner merging with and Joining said deckand a leg corrugation.

5. In a sheet metal skid platform having a deck and legs with cornerstherebetween formed integrally from a single metal blank, a relativelydeep corrugation traversing the deck, a relatively deep corrugationextending upward in each leg, two

relatively shallow and wide, tapered corrugations

